International driving license - who needs it and where?

What is it and what is it for?

An international driver's license (IDP) is a license translated into another language in the form of an A6 book. A document of this type cannot be issued without national rights.

Important! The main function of the IDP is translation into the 8 main UN languages. The certificate is not a separate document. It is always provided in conjunction with the main one. Its scope is determined by two conventions.

Vienna Convention

The IDP operates on the basis of the Vienna Convention of 1968 and contains provisions for safe travel on the roads. It was signed by several countries: Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Finland, Estonia, Brazil, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic.

This is not the entire list. Before going on a trip, you should find out in advance where the international ID is valid.

Geneva Convention

There is also the Geneva Convention - countries that have not signed the Vienna Convention participate in the Geneva Convention. By law, the countries of the Geneva Convention take into account only the IDP, and the countries of the Vienna Convention take into account the DDP (new driver's license 2021) and the IDP. The new driver's license is a “revolution” in the field of international documents. It allows you to move around the territory of foreign countries in a personal car and rent them.

Countries included in the Geneva Convention: Albania, Andora, Vatican City, Ireland, Iceland, Cyprus, Malta, the Netherlands, Turkey.

There are countries that have signed both conventions, for example Austria. But there are countries that have not signed any of them; they recognize only the national rights of their country.

Price of an IDP in St. Petersburg

To obtain an international driving license you will have to pay a state fee. In 2021 it is equal to 1600 rubles. You can pay for it at bank tellers and ATMs, but it is much more convenient and economical to do this through the government services portal.

When paying for an application through the portal, users are given a 30% discount. Thanks to her, you can pay only 1210 rubles.

So, in the Northern capital the same procedure for obtaining an international driver’s license applies as in all other regions of the country. Obtaining an IDP will take no more than a few days.

What documents need to be prepared?

The service for acquiring an IDP requires the collection of certain documents.

You will need:

driver's license;
1 photo on matte paper (glossy are not accepted) 35x45 mm;
passport;
international passport;
paid state duty (you need to print it from the website);
an application to be filled out on the spot.

Passing exams is not required when registering.

Do I need a medical certificate?

Previously, a medical certificate was required, which took a lot of time and money. This is now an optional document.

Important! A medical certificate is not required to obtain an IDP from 2021. The requirement has been abolished by law. There is such an item on the State Services website, but the fields are about.

In the application, which is issued at the traffic police station, you need to indicate your passport details, full name, place of birth, fill in the fields by entering your driver's license details, indicate the reason - obtaining an IDP. The reverse side is filled out by the employee.

Issuance and registration are not carried out without a passport, since without it it is prohibited to travel outside the country.

Legal force of IDP, fines

You should learn about the legal validity of the document and driving rules separately for each country. Everywhere has its own conditions and subtleties. For example, countries that have signed the Geneva Agreement do not rent a car, even if you have a new type of certificate - you need a translated license.

The IDP will indicate the driver’s personal data, validity period, series, number and categories of cars available for driving.

Important! If you travel without an IDP, the driver may not be allowed in/out of the country in a personal car. It is also impossible to rent a car.

If the police stop the car, and this happens often with foreign license plates, the driver will receive a fine of 300–400 euros. In the event of an accident, not a single company included in the state register of insurance companies will pay out money.

How to get a category B driver's license for the first time?

To drive a car, which is the most popular type of transport, you need to have a category B driver's license.

For beginners who want to get behind the wheel of a car, you can find out where to start in our material. Let us dwell on the nuances regarding age restrictions and medical examination requirements for candidates to become drivers.

We'll tell you how to pass the traffic police exams to get a category B license and how much a driver's license costs in the capital.

Where to get a driver's license and what you need for it

A document certifying the right to drive a vehicle is issued by the State Traffic Inspectorate after successfully passing an exam consisting of a theoretical and practical part.

To be admitted to the traffic police exams, you must submit a package of documents, an exhaustive list of which is defined in clause 21 of the Administrative Regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

This includes:

an application filled out by the candidate to become a driver according to the approved form;
identification document (usually a passport is attached);
a medical report confirming the ability to drive a vehicle due to health reasons, including possible restrictions regarding the need to equip the car with special devices or the driver’s use of medical devices (for example, lenses or glasses);
certificate of completion of vocational training at a driving school according to a program for a certain category of vehicle.

Note

If minors are allowed to take the exams, in addition to the required package of documents, the notarized consent of the parents (or legal representatives who have replaced them) must be attached.

Please note: you cannot get a license without attending a driving school, but you can save time on attending training classes by studying traffic rules remotely.

As you can see, learning to drive a car on your own with the help of even a professional driver and learning the rules of the road in order to pass your license exams is not enough.

You can only get a specialized education as a driver by graduating from a licensed driving school.

How to find a driving school

Without leaving your home or office, you can find the information you are interested in on the websites of educational institutions:

duration of the training course for different categories of driving licenses;
proposed schedules for attending classes;
what cars will you learn to drive on?
Is there a difference in the cost of learning to drive on cars with automatic and manual transmissions?

It is worth paying attention to additional services, benefits, promotions, for example:

providing cadets with access to the necessary educational materials through a personal account to save time and consolidate knowledge on the theoretical part;
the presence in the driving school of professional equipment that allows for full-fledged distance learning;
providing assistance in organizational matters and accompanying a personal instructor-supervisor during exams in the traffic police;
Are there any current tuition discounts and is it possible to pay in installments?

Note

On the official websites of driving schools, as a rule, they ask you to fill out a form, indicating a contact phone number, where a consultant will contact you within a few minutes to answer your questions for free.

When choosing a driving school where to enroll in courses, you should not focus only on the proximity of the location to home and cheaper cost.

We recommend:

ask the opinion of friends who recently received a license about how well they prepare for exams in a particular driving school;
look at the discussions on the forums.

The percentage of people who passed the driving test the first time says a lot about the level of training of graduates.

How to apply through the State Services website

You can easily obtain an international license. State Services support registration through their portal with a 30% discount and no queues.

Step-by-step instruction:

Log in or register on the site.
Click on the “Services” section in the top menu of the site.
Then select "Transport and Driving".
Find the inscription: “Driver’s license.”
A list of all possible services will open. From them, select “Obtaining an international diploma.”
After opening the section, you can see a blue “Get service” button on the right.
Next, you need to fill out a form indicating your passport details, full name, and citizenship.
Enter information about your current user account.
If desired, add information from a medical certificate.
At the bottom of the page you should select the traffic police department with a convenient location for the user.
Click “Select appointment time.”
Confirm your consent to the processing of personal data.
A notification about the consideration of the application will appear in your personal account.
The message will ask you to pay the state fee and visit the traffic police station with a full package of documents for further processing. Obtaining a new international license will take a few minutes.

Important! When making an appointment through the website, service occurs as quickly as possible; the appointment is scheduled for a specific time. You should arrive 10–15 minutes in advance, as they may call you a little earlier.

You can receive a new document in 1–2 days or less.

In the next block you can find out how to get that same international driver's license through State Services in the shortest possible time, even if you are not registered on the site.

If you are not registered on the State Services website

It is important to consider the situation when the driver first obtains a license. How to obtain an IDP through State Services if the site has not been used before?

The instructions will be identical for all citizens of the Russian Federation. However, new users can receive different levels of profile: simplified, standard and verified.

To register a simplified profile, just fill in the data with your phone number and email.

For a standard account, you need to register using SNILS and your passport. For a confirmed account, you must confirm your own identity by contacting the Service Center, online bank, using an electronic signature, or a universal electronic card.

Registration procedure

When considering how to obtain international rights through the MFC, you should know the mandatory procedure. The multifunctional center is a large organization in which state and municipal services are provided. This method is the best alternative to registration through the traffic police, as it eliminates many difficulties and reduces the duration of the procedure.

Preparation of documents

To obtain an international license at the MFC, you must first collect a package of certificates and papers. The main one is an application that indicates the citizen’s passport details, the reason for the need for an IDP, the date and signature. It also provides a list of attached documents, which includes:

State-issued driver's license.
Identification document (passport, foreign passport, or military ID).
Photograph 3.5x4.5 cm (can be taken directly at the MFC).
Receipt for payment of duty.

It is recommended to use a foreign passport as a supporting document. This allows you to eliminate errors when translating the applicant's name. A medical certificate is not required to obtain an international driver's license at the MFC.

Advice! To submit an application to the center, you must join the electronic queue. This can be done in several ways: by telephone, through a special Internet service or using an information terminal. A date is set when you need to come to the MFC with the collected documents. If it is not the applicant himself who applies to the center, an official power of attorney is required.

Duty

To obtain an IDP, a citizen is required to pay 1,600 rubles. Payment is required both when registering rights for the first time, and if you need to restore or change the document due to the expiration of the validity period.

To deposit funds, you must provide the details in the payment terminal. This procedure can be carried out at any bank branch. In this case, in addition to the amount of the fee, a commission may be charged.

Production time

As a rule, you can get an international driver's license at the MFC faster than through the traffic police. The maximum duration for production of licenses is 15 working days.

The advantage of the multifunctional center is that the driver does not need to stand in line for a long time. It will take up to 1 hour to submit documents. Subsequently, they are tested and an IDP is produced. The procedure for obtaining ready-made licenses takes no more than 15 minutes.

How much does it cost to get an international license?

On the State Services website, the state duty costs 1,600 rubles. Until January 1, 2021, you can get a discount, then the cost will drop to 1,120 rubles.

The application for state duty must be submitted electronically through the State Services website. Payment is made cashless via a bank card, e-wallet or phone account. Under such payment conditions a 30% discount is provided.

Practical advice on obtaining an international driving license

Before choosing the traffic police department, you should find out whether they issue licenses.
Traffic rules abroad may differ from local ones; ignorance will not protect the driver from fines.
The replacement of the card is carried out after 3 years, in the same order as registration. It is recommended to change your international license after the expiration date or in advance. It is prohibited to use an expired document.
If a driver, driving a car in Russia, was able to provide only an IDP, without a main driver’s license, he will be fined 500 rubles.
Persons who received the 2021 XIV may not order its translation into foreign languages. A DDP allows you to move freely in most countries and rent a car.
Registration of a document at the MFC takes the longest – from 3 to 9 days. At the traffic police, the period is reduced to a few minutes, provided that the application was submitted on the State Services website.

You can obtain an international license in a short period of time without leaving your own home. Having spent a small amount and 1 day of personal time, the user receives the legal right to travel in a personal car anywhere in the world.

Why do you need to obtain an IDP?

An international driver's license is required if you are planning to travel abroad in your own car. An international driver's license, as well as a valid Russian license, will need to be presented at customs when crossing the border. If you cross the border not with your own car, but using public transport (rail, water, air or bus), but upon arrival in the country you want to rent a vehicle that requires a driver’s license of any category (motorcycle, car, van), to drive it, then the identification will be necessary to draw up a formal lease agreement. Also, while moving around the country, local traffic safety authorities may stop you and ask you to show your license.

What can happen if you drive without an IDP:

Customs officers have the right to not allow you to cross the state border.
You will be refused if you want to rent a vehicle.
There is a heavy fine for driving a vehicle without a license. The cost of the fine varies in different countries, its maximum amount is 400 euros.
You will not receive payments from the company if an insured event occurs abroad.
If the rules are seriously violated, government authorities have the right to deprive you of your freedom.

Complete list of documents required to issue a card